I have had the good fortune to spend many a day and numerous weekends in Liguria throughout the years that I lived in Italy and since I have moved home to the States. A few years ago thanks to Filippo Rondelli from Terre Bianche who just got a great write up in the Wall Street Journal recently, I was introduced to the Enoteca Regionale della Liguria. Two years ago I began to do a few projects in the States with the Enoteca and to do seminars on Ligurian wines at  wine conferences. This summer I had a meeting in Sarzana with the group to plan our next series of activities.

Yesterday I got the terrible news that their President, Federico Ricci, passed away at the age of 52. I knew he was sick but I honestly thought that he would recover and most certainly not that two weeks after Vinitaly I would hear of his passing. Today is his funeral and I am stunned. He leaves behind his wife and youngish son not yet a teenager who I met when they came to New York in October 2015. Life is really a heartbeat and these events just underline how fleeting it can be. I am very saddened by this turn of events.

sadly today I am reminded just how brief it can be. Very sad indeed.